tomorrow morning
by ohwhatsherface
Summary: Drabbles. Sasuke, Sakura, and a life without Konoha.
1. tomorrow morning

**disclaimer: **do not own  
**note:** post-canon; and kudos to whoever can tell the song lyric in here :)

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_**tomorrow morning**_

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He looks content, she thinks. Finally, for once, he has no one left to hunt, and because of that he has found peace. The furrow that seemed to permanently mar his brow is smoothed and his closed eyes flutter softly with the hopeful tease of a happy dream dancing behind them. His lips are parted ever so slightly as he breathes evenly.

He _is _content.

Carefully – _so, so_ _carefully_ – she lets her fingers touch his cheek. Hardly enough contact is made for it to truly be called a touch. It is enough, however, to wake him from his slumber, and with the instincts of a true shinobi, he grabs her wrist before his eyes shoot open. It's not that surprising. A man like him – a _missing nin_ like him – _must_ have such honed skills.

She smiles, unaffected by his grip. "Good morning."

He says nothing but releases her immediately. With a grunt, he turns away from her and faces the edge of the bed. Sakura frowns at his cold behaviour but does nothing. Instead, she settles comfortably on her back and studies the white ceiling. It looks grey due to the darkness of their room. Near the window, bits of light peek through but the thick, navy curtains keep them at bay.

"I have to go today," she says eventually.

Her departure is inevitable if not anything else. She looks at him and hopes for a reaction – _ask me to stay_ – but receives none. She sighs and pushes the blankets off her body, briefly shivering when the cold air makes contact with her skin. Donning her underwear, she chooses to wear a simple dress, a perk of no longer being a ninja. When all her things are gathered she looks at him once more, lying there, facing the ceiling with an arm crossed, sprawled across his eyes. He wears a frown but does not say anything. Unsurely, she sits down at the edge of the bed.

"Where are you going?" he asks after a moment.

In his typical fashion, he manages to sound like he does not care in the least. Sakura smiles at that. He hasn't changed that much, in her opinion. Deep down, under the taller, stronger figure, he's still the damaged and broody boy she new as a girl. She is much too reminiscent for her own good, she thinks, as she easily falls into her own memories.

"I don't know," she admits.

He sits up and crosses his legs with the sheets bunched in his lap. True to her nature, Sakura's cheeks redden at the sight of his bare chest. Sasuke rolls his eyes and chastises himself for having thought she had actually grown up – actually _changed_.

"Foolish," he mutters. "Why would you leave the village for no reason?"

She levels him with a placid stare and seems to be thinking of an answer. Rather than responding however, she drops her bag on the floor and lays down in her earlier position, opting to once again study the darkened room's ceiling than think about a reply.

"I want to travel," she responds eventually. "I was bored, to be completely honest." Shrugging feels awkward when done while lying down. "I was restless stuck in Konoha. I want to… I would like to learn more, I think. New medical techniques, other cultures, languages…" Sakura smiles whimsically and thinks about the future. "I want to travel."

"Hn."

After a moment, she turns on her side to look him in the eye but inconveniently, he is facing forward. "I just want you to know," Sakura bites her lip but forces the words out, "I just want you to know that I was _not_ looking for you. I haven't thought about you in a very long time and I did not leave Konoha with the hopes of finding you on the road. I… I wasn't looking for you, Sasuke. This was just a coincidence. This…" Continuing almost feels like a struggle. "This will never happen again so… I guess this is goodbye, Sasuke."

She sits up and kisses him on the cheek softly. It is a simple brush of her lips against his cheek, but it still pulls something in his chest and Sasuke flinches at the contact. He grabs her wrist as she tries to stand and pulls her back down.

"You have nowhere to go," he states, staring her down. "Why are you in such a rush to leave?" She opens her mouth but no answer comes out. "You should stay," he mumbles.

Her eyes widen at his _utterly ridiculous_ idea – really, what could he possibly be thinking?

"W—what?" she stutters, openly gaping.

Sasuke bows his head and she easily picks up his racing heartbeat. "I'd like to know," he murmurs slowly. He lifts his head and holds her gaze, "if you'd be open to starting over from scratch."

"What?" She shakes her head and looks away. "I don't understand."

"I'd like to know if you'd open to giving me a," The last two words are nearly a whisper but she manages to pick up on his request, "second chance."

She swallows nervously and stares down at her hands. Her fingers are clenched tightly around the bed sheet beneath her and she has no idea what to do. Sakura lets go of the now wrinkled material and runs her hands over the creases to smoothen them. She can only distract herself for so long, Sakura deduces as she struggles to ignore Sasuke's smouldering gaze.

It hurts. Just a little bit. A lot. It still hurts to be around him, to hear his voice, to feel his touch. Every time he said 'thank you' for courtesy's sake in the past few days they stole together, Sakura still found her self flinching. Every time they kissed and his fingers brushed along her spine, she froze up momentarily and subtly took her neck out of range. Sakura prides herself in being quite intelligent so she knows why it hurts: she still loves him.

Finally she looks up at him and Sasuke is almost relieved.

"I," she begins, focusing on his lips rather than his eyes. "I'm Sakura."

He blinks, confused, before understanding. Sasuke nods and his lips pull into the smallest of smiles. "I'm Sasuke."

Before she can speak, Sasuke pulls her closer and wraps his arms around her. His grip is tight but warm and comfortable and feels so, so safe and Sakura prays he doesn't ever let go. He buries his face in the crook of her neck and breathes her in.

"Thank you," he says softly.

Sakura pulls away just enough to be able to cup his cheek and look at him fully. She smiles gently and then closes her eyes and presses her forehead against his. With a contented sigh, Sakura whispers the words that are nearly six years overdue.

"You're welcome."

-

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**fin**


	2. streaks of red

**Title: **you talk too much**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **#23 streaks of red  
**Word Count: **370**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

Hi! So I'll be honest, my liking for Naruto fandom is dwindling, hence the lack of writing from me altogether. Anyway, these drabbles are for my 30heartbeats and will all be interconnected pieces in the canon-verse! Sort of. :D

…

…

She blinks so hard, so many times, that eventually the slices of tomato on his plate become blurred streaks of red before a white background. Sakura tries not to let her jaw drop so blatantly as she continues to watch in complete fascination. Across from her, Sasuke chews his sour snack and tries to ignore his companion's poorly concealed _– if it's even conceal at all_ – gawking.

Eventually, Sasuke twitches under her intense stare and meets her gaze with a glare.

Sakura smiles at the unasked inquiry in his eyes and shakes her head. "Sorry. It's nothing."

"Hn." He continues eating, chewing the tomato slices and swallowing them in silence.

Sakura rests her chin in her palm and leans over the table and wonders whether he is oblivious to her resumed staring or not. Smiling fondly, she explains, "You just… you look…" She stops herself to think of the right thing to say. Declaring that he looks human – that he looks _normal_ – seems wrong. Something tells her that would only remind him of just how _not_ normal his life has been and bring back all the bad memories he has been trying to run away from. "You really like tomatoes," she chooses to say. "I never knew that."

Regarding her near-disappointed expression, Sasuke grunts. "You don't really know much about me." He shrugs. "We don't really know much about each other."

Once again, Sakura blinks so hard, so many times. She stares blankly at Sasuke's little snack, nearly finished, and sighs quietly. While his words _are_ somewhat true, she does not appreciate them; who wants to be told they hardly know the one they say they love? Sakura contemplates denying his statement but the words catch in her mouth.

With Sasuke, everything holds an underlying message and when it comes to him, Sakura knows better than to take things as they are – _look underneath the underneath._

Feeling optimistic, Sakura raises her head. "I like apples. And almond cookies with jasmine tea. Oh, and—"

"You don't have to tell me _everything_."

She cuts herself off at his annoyed tone and grins sheepishly. No, she doesn't need to tell him everything – at least not right now. They still have plenty of time.

…


	3. trouble lurking

**Title: **sakura doesn't like cockroaches**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **#07 trouble lurking  
**Word Count: **357**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

Yeah, I remember that panel where Sakura punches out a massive centipede but oh well.

…

…

Sasuke wakes up at the sounding of Sakura screaming. At first, he is on alert. Then he remembers the seedy-looking motel they were staying in. He winces when she accidentally steps on him after she jumps onto the bed, glaring at the floor with a _kunai in hand_. With a sigh, Sasuke sits up and stares at her flatly. "Sakura," he mutters, "what is your problem?"

"_Cockroaches_, Sasuke-kun," she hisses, glaring down at him. "I was going to take a bath and then a _cockroach_ fell into the _tub_ and _ew, ew, ew_!"

He then notices she's only wearing a towel and sighs, covering his eyes with his arm to block out the morning light from the window. "So kill it."

"No!" she shrieks. "I am _not_ touching it. Sasuke-kun! _KILL IT FOR ME_."

Sasuke instead turns onto his stomach. "Sakura, you're a kunoichi. I was told you assisted in taking down a member of Akatsuki. You can deal with a _cockroach_." He heard her sputter and smirked, knowing she was getting very irritated. "Unless you're afraid—"

"I am not _afraid_," she growls, kicking him in the ribs. He moves his arm and sees her crouched awkwardly, scanning the floor as if the cockroach would jump at her any second now. "I just… I don't want to _touch_ it! That's so nasty!"

He rolls his eyes. "So use your shoe, moron—"

"_SASUKE_." He stills at her fuming tone and narrowed eyes. "I am asking you _nicely_." At first he is somewhat afraid, but when her voice rises and hits a whiny note, he scowls. "Oh, my gosh, would you please just _kill it_?!"

They glare at each other for a good minute before Sasuke breaks eye contact and gets out of the bed. "Fine."

Sasuke grunts when she leaps at him, innocently wrapping her arms and legs around him so she wouldn't have to touch the floor in fear of another cockroach coming. She tightens her grip and smiles brightly. "Thank you!" she says, letting go and standing back on the bed. "You're the best."

He snorts and heads to the bathroom. "Right."

Annoying woman.

…


	4. keeping a secret

**Title:** tonight and every other night**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **#13 keeping a secret  
**Word Count: **543**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

…

…

When Sasuke wakes up from being pushed off the bed for the nth time that _week_, he decides that it is time for Revenge on Sakura. He had been trying _very_ hard to ignore it. Everyone had their flaws, though some people had ones that were more irritating than others. That was all. He had been _trying_ to keep it from her, lest she became all flustered and _annoying_ but Sasuke had had enough.

_Enough_!

Sitting up and climbing back on the mattress, he glares at the pink-haired girl who slept like a log, oblivious to the fact that she shoved him off. Again. He wasn't keeping track, but he is certain that the number of times she pushed his off the bed was at least over twenty.

Really.

She could actually manage to be _that_ annoying in her _sleep_.

Grinning maliciously, Sasuke shoves her back to her side of the bed, and then a little bit more. His smile widens at the thump she makes when she hits the floor.

_Ah, sweet revenge._

"Ow!" she whines, waking up. Sakura sits and peers at him from the floor. Unafraid of her questioning glare, Sasuke meets her eyes. "Sasuke…" she drawls in her promise-of-painful-torture-before-slow-death tone, "did you _push_ me off the bed?"

"Yes," he replies coolly. Sakura crawls back on the bed and straddles him. Her fists are opening and closing and she is likely contemplating whether to smother him with a pillow or use her bare hands to strangle him. "I did," Sasuke continues, daring her to make a move.

"And _why_, pray tell, did you push me off the bed?"

"Because _you_ push _me_ off the bed," he snaps. Realizing he lost control over his temper, Sasuke frowns and looks to the side, pouting like an affronted child.

Sakura has the gall to look offended. "_Excuse me_?!" She slaps his face a few times before Sasuke gets annoyed and pushes her off him. "I so do not push you! I don't _ever_ remember doing—"

"Yes, because you were sleeping," Sasuke explains. He pauses, wondering if he should continue, but realizes there's no point in turning back now, no matter how embarrassed she was likely to become. "Sakura, you stick your ass out when you sleep and somehow you manage to push me with it. It's annoying, which is expected since you're… you—"

"OI!"

"—but really," Sasuke's scowl darkens, "stay on your side of the bed."

They glare at each other for a minute before Sakura's eyes crinkle and smiles. She tries to smother her giggles but fails, and instead drops back onto her pillow. "Oh, god," she groans, rubbing her face. "Sasuke, we sound like a married couple." As she continues to laugh, Sasuke allows himself a small grin. When her chuckles die down, Sakura leans against his chest, drawing patterns along his skin. "I'm sorry I pushed you off the bed with my ass, _darling_."

Sasuke nods. "Aa." She pokes him harshly in the ribs and he winces. "Sorry I pushed _you_."

Sakura looks up at him and kisses him chastely. "Goodnight, Sasuke."

"Goodnight."

And as they lay in each other's arms, it remains a good night.

Well, until Sasuke wakes up on the floor, that is.

"SAKURA!"

…

…


	5. memory

**Title: **believer**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **#03 memory  
**Word Count: **500**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

Now for a break from the crackier drabbles! I swear, I intended for this anthology to be very IC and poignant but… I failed. LOL.  
Also, I realize I never said what song was in the first chapter. It was 'Scratch' by Kendall Payne. :D

…

…

Sasuke has questions – of course he does. He never asks Sakura out right when he wants to know something, but sometimes, most of the time, she gets an inkling when his gaze darts in her direction when he thinks she's not looking. Usually he's a tad bit more subtle, Sakura thinks, trying hard to ignore the way his stare was boring holes in her back as she walks in front of him down the dirt road. Sakura sighs and look at him directly, frowning. "What?"

He returns the irritated stare, as if trying to pin the situation on her.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Sasuke. _What_?" His mouth opens, and Sakura hears the 'you're annoying, I wasn't looking' before it comes out, so she interrupts. "Don't deny it, Sasuke. You want to ask me something – what?"

"Why did you leave Konoha?"

Shocked, she merely blinks. Sakura hadn't expected to get an answer – or technically, question – so fast. "Pardon?"

"Hn," he grunts, refusing to repeat his question lest she think he _cared_. "You heard me."

"I…" Sakura trails off. They stop walking altogether and Sakura stares at her feet. "I already told you," she says eventually, eyes hardened and fists clenched. "Travel, remember?" Acting annoyed, Sakura rolls her eyes. "We've had this conversation before—"

"Aa, but you lied," he easily contradicts, infuriating Sakura even further.

"I did _not_ lie."

The way she said it would have made any other person end the conversation right there, however, determined, Sasuke persisted. "Sakura—"

"And I don't see why you care," she hisses, glaring. "Even if I am lying – which I am not – it's none of your business."

For a moment, he looks hurt, and Sakura immediately regrets her harsh words; they were beginning to make progress, too.

She sighs and turns away. "A few months ago, I declared Tsunade-shishou a lost cause. She wasn't responding to any sort of treatment and was just wasting away, brain dead, so we took her off life support," Sakura explains dully, "_I_ took her off life support." Suddenly, a sob escapes before she can suppress it, and Sakura laughs bitterly. "I stopped believing in the only person who believed in _me_. Now she's dead."

Sasuke says nothing, not quite sure _what_ to say.

"I couldn't stay," she continues. "I felt so _ashamed _every time I saw her face on the Hokage Mountain so I had to leave—"

"It wasn't your fault."

Sakura snorts, ignoring the fact that we was trying to comfort her. "Sasuke, she taught me everything she knew. Tsunade-shishou was medical genius. _She_ would have found some sort of cure but I… I just…" She shakes her head. "Pathetic," she whispers.

She sobs, hiding her eyes beneath her bangs and Sasuke keeps his mouth shut. He takes her hand in his and squeezes it firmly, and in turn, she leans her head on his shoulder.

He has heard enough to know that words don't heal.

People do.

…

…


	6. i can't

**Title: **goodnight**  
Author/Artist: **ohwhatsherface**  
Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura**  
Fandom: **Naruto**  
Theme: **#18 I can't  
**Word Count: **611**  
Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

…

…

At first, Sasuke does not enjoy waking up in a different inn every morning, though of course he prefers those mornings to the ones where he awoke on the cold, dirt floor. He is not fond of the times when the window would be placed right beside him so that the first thing that she sees in the morning when his eyes flutter open are stinging rays of sunshine, nor did he particularly enjoy rolling too far to the left and waking up in the midst of a fall because he thought there was a wall beside him (though that only occurred a few times).

What he does _not_ mind, however, is waking up with a body pressed against him and a face buried in his chest. It is such things that kept Sasuke from groaning first thing in the morning from being blinded by the bright lights. At night, he and Sakura always fall asleep on opposite sides of the bed; the intimacy they shared on their first night together had yet to reoccur. Somehow though, he always finds his arms wrapped around her in the morning.

In the beginning, it was fine.

_What was wrong with minor cuddling_,he questioned a few times. It isn't until he wakes up one morning alone that he finds his answer: everything.

There is an ache in his chest and that surprises him.

He considered the idea of separating from Sakura plenty of times when he watched her sleep, but never acted on it. Frankly, he is surprised that she was the one who left him. What on earth happened to the girl who used to be so in love with him?

Much to his dismay, seeing her side of the bed empty and feeling no other warmth but his own, bothers him. He supposes he deserves this – this being left behind in the middle of the night, this waking up alone after falling asleep feeling content with Sakura beside him. This is what he gets for all the trouble he's caused, still, it bothers him. As much as he knew he didn't deserve a second change with her, he didn't think she would just _leave_ him.

Sasuke hated goodbyes as much as the next person, but he hated the lack of them even more.

He sits up and looks around. Her bag is gone. Her coat it gone. All that's left of her are a few strands of pink hair on the pillow and the crack in his heart. He stays in the room the entire day, wondering if he could have ever made her stay.

It grows late but Sasuke continues to lament over the loss of something he wasn't sure he actually had, and suddenly, the doorknob turns. His head shoots up and he stares at the door, slowly opening to reveal Sakura.

She ignores his scrutiny, dropping her bag on the floor and removing her coat. She falls onto the bed and stares at the ceiling to avoid his eyes.

"I couldn't do it," she mumbles. He nods at her indirect confirmation to his suspicions. She really _did_ try to leave him. "It's not that I feel guilty for leaving, just…" Sakura glances at him. Her hand moves closer to his and she touches him lightly. "I don't want to be alone." Her fingers link through his and she squeezes. "And I don't think you want to be either."

He gives her a single nod. "You're staying." It comes out as a statement but they both know it's a question that is currently torturing him.

With a small smile, Sakura closes her eyes.

"I'll see you in the morning."

…


End file.
